Understand the basics of China's geography, history, demographics, politics and culture at a glance...

China is a vast east-Asian country with a population in excess of 1.3 billion, the largest of any country in the world and close to a quarter of the global population. The dominant language is Mandarin Chinese though Cantonese, Shanghainese and many other dialects are also spoken. Mandarin is taught in all schools and is the language of government. The dominant religions are Taoism and Buddhism.